Food or drink tray

ABSTRACT

A food or drink tray is provided that includes a substrate having a curvilinear perimeter. The substrate has a top surface and bottom surface each extending along a first longitudinal axis and a second lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The tray also has a rotatable handle hingedly coupled to an edge of the substrate. The handle is rotatable between at least two stable positions. Also, the handle has a cross section with at least one of an oblong, an obround, an oval and a crescent configuration. The tray also includes a rib coupled to a peripheral edge of the tray and extends away from the tray in a direction substantially opposite relative to the handle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part of the earlier U.S. Utility patent application entitled “FOOD OR DRINK TRAY,” Ser. No. 11/901,924, filed Sep. 20, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of the earlier U.S. Utility patent application entitled “FOOD OR DRINK TRAY”, Ser. No. 11/219,056 filed Sep. 1, 2005, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated entirely herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to trays and more specifically to curvilinear shaped restaurant trays with hinged handles.

2. State of the Art

Servers at social gatherings and in restaurants transport ordered food and beverages from a kitchen or bar patrons. The server often uses a conventional circle tray and will place and balance several drinks and/or dishes of food on the tray. The tray is then transported to a table, for example, using a single hand to carry the tray. As is often done, servers balance the tray on one hand. This leaves the other hand free to handle checks or money and to move beverages and/or dishes of food from the tray.

Conventional trays are typically circular with a large diameter in order to accommodate many drinks and/or several dishes of food. Because of the size and the amount of dishes of food and beverages on the tray, it is difficult to balance, and particularly difficult to adjust for the weight shifting that occurs as food dishes and beverages are removed from the tray. Often, dishes or beverages fall to the floor and result in the breaking of the dishes or glasses and creating a mess that needs to be cleaned by a restaurant employee. Furthermore, the food or drinks have to be reordered, thereby creating a further delay in service to the patron. This is costly, time consuming, and embarrassing to the server.

Accordingly, what is needed is a restaurant tray that provides greater and easier ability to balance, support and transport the food and beverages and minimize the possibility of spilling any dish or beverage while still providing the advantages of enabling transport of large quantities of food or drink as with conventional trays.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a curvilinear shaped restaurant tray with a hinged handle. In a simple form, the tray may be a food or drink tray that includes a support substrate having a truncated crescent configuration. The substrate may include a top surface and bottom surface each extending along a first longitudinal axis and a second lateral axis perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis. The substrate may have a curvilinear shape, such as, but not limited to a heart shape. A handle may be hinged and allowed to rotate about an axis and/or be connected to and extend away from the bottom surface. The handle may extend transversely to the substrate. The handle may have a cross section having at least one of an oblong, an obround, an oval, a crescent, or other such configuration that may allow the user to orient the tray to a comfortable position to reduce wrist and arm fatigue. A length dimension of the cross section may extend in a range from zero to forty-five degrees relative to the first longitudinal axis. In use, the length dimension may thus be generally pointed at the server's shoulder or may extend at a predetermined angle in a range from zero to forty-five degrees relative to a line from the handle to the server's shoulder.

The handle may be connected to the substrate at a substantially laterally central position between lateral edges of the substrate. The handle may have a minimum spacing from each lateral edge in a range from three to seven inches. The handle may be connected to the substrate at a substantially longitudinally central position between longitudinal edges of the substrate. A maximum length of the tray may be in a range from fourteen to thirty-six inches. Another range of lengths may be from twenty-seven to forty inches. The maximum length of the tray may be in a narrower range from nineteen to twenty-four inches. The handle may have a length in a range from five to ten inches. The handle may alternatively have a length from three to seven inches. The length of the handle may be slightly less than two hand widths relative to a server using the tray.

The handle may have a tight hinge that is designed to move between at least two substantially stable positions. One of the stable positions may be an extended position with the handle extending in a transverse direction from the bottom surface of the substrate. The other stable position may be a folded position with the handle extending away from the substrate in a position transverse to the extended position of the handle, wherein the handle is substantially parallel with a plane of the substrate. The handle may have a cross section having at least one of an oblong, an obround, an oval, a crescent, or other such configuration that may allow the user to orient the tray to a comfortable position to reduce wrist and arm fatigue. A “rest” may provide a convenient contour for resting the tray on the user's hips or shoulders, thereby also reducing user fatigue. The handle may include a knob coupled to an end of the handle to aid the user in securely gripping the handle and controlling the tray. The tray may also have a raised outer edge acting as a rim to limit the sliding of articles placed upon the top surface of the tray. The rim also serves to substantially contain any food, drink or other item spilled within the tray to avoid messes and to minimize slipping hazards.

In another simple form, the present invention is directed to a food or drink tray system. The food or drink tray system may include at least one tray having an oblong configuration. The tray may include a top surface and bottom surface configured to rest on a shoulder of a user. A handle may be coupled to the bottom surface. The handle may extend transversely away from the bottom surface and/or away from a plane of the tray. The handle may have at least one of an obround, an oval, and a rectilinear cross section. A rib on a peripheral edge of the top surface of the tray may extend away from the tray in a substantially opposite direction from the handle. A handle aperture may be defined by structure of the tray extending through the tray. The aperture may also be defined by structure that forms at least a portion of the handle. The food or drink tray system may further include a plurality of similar food or drink trays. The plurality of food or drink trays may be conveniently stacked with a handle of a superjacent tray being received within the handle aperture of a subjacent tray.

The trays of the food or drink tray system may have a truncated crescent configuration or other configuration defined by any predetermined curvilinear perimeter. That is, the shape of the tray substrate or support surface may be of any shape which may be desirable for aesthetics or other reasons. However, elongated, oblong, and crescent shaped substrates provide certain advantages in accordance with the present invention. The trays of the food or drink tray system may include shoulder engaging structure on a bottom surface of the trays. The shoulder engaging structure may include an ergonomic surface modifying treatment for comfortably engaging a user's shoulder. The food or drink tray system may include one or more tray support having a receiving structure. The receiving structure may be configured to receive the handle and support the trays in a substantially horizontal position between periods of transport.

In one aspect, the tray of the present invention may include a restaurant tray including an oblong tray having a top surface and bottom surface, wherein the tray is configured to rest on the shoulder of a waiter. A handle coupled to the bottom surface and extending away from the bottom surface may be transverse to a plane of the tray. The handle may have a cross section with at least one of an obround configuration, a circle configuration, a diamond configuration, an oval configuration and a rectilinear configuration. The handle may have a length sufficient for two hands to grasp the handle. The handle may also be slightly longer than a single hand width in order for a proximal end of the handle to engage the user's forearm for greater stability. The handle may have a length within the range of at least two female hand widths to two male hand widths. Additionally, the oblong tray may include at least one of a truncated crescent configuration, an oval configuration, an obround configuration, a rectangular configuration and/or any combination thereof. The top surface of the tray may have at least one beverage recess for retaining a beverage within the at least one beverage recess.

The tray of the present invention may further include a plurality of beverage recesses and the tray may include a rib, wherein the rib is coupled to a peripheral edge of the tray and extends away from the tray in a substantially opposite direction from the handle. The handle may include a handle base plate configured to be coupled to the bottom surface of the tray. Additionally, the tray may further comprise a handle aperture extending from the top surface through the tray including the bottom surface, and at least partially into the handle. Thus, the handle aperture may be configured to receive a handle from another restaurant tray so as to enable stacking of the trays.

In another simple form, the invention may include a method of using of a food or drink tray. The method may include holding a handle that extends transversely from a bottom surface of tray with at least one first hand. The method may include supporting a portion of the bottom surface of a tray on a shoulder corresponding to the hand holding the handle. That is, a shoulder on the same side of the body as the hand holding the handle of the tray. The method may include leveling a top surface of the tray by raising or lowering the hand holding the handle. The portion of the bottom surface of the tray placed on the shoulder may form a pivot point and the hand may pivot the tray using the handle.

Thus, the method may also include rotating the tray inwardly or outwardly relative to the user's body by pivoting the tray on the shoulder. In one aspect, the method may include regularly supporting a majority of the tray and the objects thereon inwardly of an outermost edge of a user's shoulders. The method of using the tray may include increasing control of the tray by applying leverage to the handle to balance the tray as items are removed from the tray. The method may also include holding the handle with a second hand in addition to holding the handle with the at least one first hand for increased control.

In yet another aspect, the present invention may include a method of using a restaurant tray. The method may further comprise the steps of pivoting the tray when navigating through highly congested spaces, wherein the portion of the bottom surface of the tray placed on the shoulder forms a pivot point and the hand pivots the tray using the handle. The method may include balancing the tray as items are removed from the tray.

In another aspect of the present invention may include a method of using a food or drink tray, the method comprising rotating a rotatable handle about a hinge from a folded position to an extended when the tray is empty; resting the tray on one of a server's hips and shoulder while the handle is gripped by the server; filling the tray with one of food items, drink items and combinations thereof; carrying the tray to a table; rotating the rotatable handle to a folded position to rest the tray on the table; and unloading the tray.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food or drink tray supported on a shoulder and by a hand of a server in accordance with a method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a food or drink tray according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a food or drink tray with beverage recesses;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a food or drink tray;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a food or drink tray;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of handle aperture structure and handles of a respective plurality of trays in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a plurality of similar trays in a stacked relation and a receiver in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a food or drink tray with a handle in a folded position in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 9A-B are section views of the food and drink tray taken along line A-A of FIG. 8 with the handle in an extended position and a folded position in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a section view of a handle taken along line B-B of FIG. 9A of the food or drink tray, in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of using a food or drink tray in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a food and/or drink tray that may be used as a restaurant tray. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, a tray 10 in accordance with the present invention may have an oblong tray substrate 12 for supporting beverage glasses 13, for example. The substrate 12 may or may not have a rib 14 along a peripheral edge of the substrate and/or beverage recesses in a top surface 22 as will be described in greater detail below. The tray 10 may also have a handle 16 rigidly connected to a bottom surface 21 of the tray. As shown in FIG. 1, a server 17, such as a waiter or waitress, may then grasp the handle 18 and support the tray 10 via the handle as well as resting the oblong tray 10 on a shoulder 20 to more easily balance the tray 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 17 may support a portion of a bottom surface 21 of the tray substrate 12 on his/her shoulder 20. The position on the shoulder 20 that is engaged by the bottom surface 21 of the tray may thus form a pivot point 23 about which the tray 10 may be pivoted. Thus, the tray and any food and/or drink supported on the top surface 22 thereof may be pivoted inwardly or outwardly about the pivot point 23. As may be appreciated, as the tray is pivoted inward, the load thereof will be more easily supported by the muscles in the arms and other parts of the server's body. The concave inner edge 25 enables the server to advantageously pull the load inward as close as possible to his/her own center of gravity. By swinging the tray inward or outward from in front of his/her face, a server can more easily navigate through a crowd, for example. Also, resting the tray 10 on the shoulder 20 enables the server to roll the tray 10 forward and aft for a desired leveling effect.

As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, the food or drink tray 10 may include a substrate 12, a rib 14, and a handle 16. The substrate 12 may include the top surface 22 and the bottom surface 21. The handle 16 may be coupled to the bottom surface 21 and extend away from the bottom surface 21 transversely to a plane of the substrate 12. The handle 16 may be substantially perpendicular to the substrate 12. The rib 14 may be formed integrally or subsequently coupled to a peripheral edge of the tray 12. The rib 14 may extend away from the substrate 12 in a substantially opposite direction from the handle, thereby providing a lip around the perimeter of the top surface 22 of the substrate 12. The food or drink tray 10 may additionally include a handle aperture 18. The handle aperture 18 may extend from the top surface 22 through the bottom surface 21 and partially into the handle 16. The handle aperture 18 may be of a size and a configuration to receive and/or retain another handle within it. For example, the handles 16 may be tapered from a larger section adjacent the tray substrate 12 to a smaller section at a proximal end of the handles 16. The handle aperture may thus allow a plurality of food or drink trays to be stacked on top of each other to provide for more efficient storage and/or transport of the food or drink trays 10. Alternatively, the handles may have a uniform size along their lengths for generally cylindrical handles of any of a variety of cross sectional configurations.

The handle section may have a length dimension of approximately one inch at the small section to approximately one and three fourths inches at the large section. The handle section may have a width dimension of approximately two thirds of an inch at the small section to approximately one and one sixth inches at the large section. It is to be understood that other less tapered or non-tapered configurations may be implemented. Other dimensions inside or outside the above described ranges are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

The substrate 12 may be oblong in configuration. Thus, the configuration of the tray enables a server to more easily support and balance the tray in close proximity to the server's body. This is especially advantageous as food or beverages are removed from the substrate 12. The configuration of the substrate 12 may be of any oblong configuration such as, but not limited to, a crescent configuration, a truncated crescent configuration, an oval configuration, an obround configuration, a rectangular configuration, or any other oblong configuration.

The substrate 12 of the tray may have any of a variety of dimensions. However, certain ranges of dimensions provide certain advantages to the server 17. For example providing the substrate of a width and locating the handle generally in a center of that width has the advantage of improved lateral balancing, or balancing about a longitudinal axis in a fore and aft direction. In this regard, the handle may have a minimum spacing from each lateral edge in a range from three to seven inches. The range may be from one to twelve inches. The handle may also be positioned in a fore and aft plane that extends through a center of gravity of the tray 10 or through a center of gravity of a predicted loaded tray. While servers will vary in size and breadth of shoulders, this range has the general advantage of enabling a center of mass of the tray and/or objects on the tray to be regularly located inside of an outer edge of the server's shoulder indicated by line 48 in FIG. 1. For example, if the tray were ten inches wide with the handle located at approximately three inches from the inner lateral edge and seven inches from the outer lateral edge, then even with a strictly oblong configured substrate that has a load evenly distributed thereon, the center of mass may be at approximately five inches from the inner edge. A server with a shoulder that extends four to five inches laterally from the neck could easily position the tray 10 so that the center of mass is within the outer edge of his or her shoulder. By providing the tray substrate of a crescent or truncated crescent configuration, positioning the tray for load distribution inside the outer edge becomes even easier. Thus, even with large loads, the server can more easily control and support the tray and its contents.

While the tray substrate 12 may have any of a variety of dimensions, and the handle 16 may be connected to the substrate 12 at a substantially longitudinally central position between longitudinal fore and aft edges of the substrate, it is to be understood that other positions of the handle in the fore and aft directions are also possible. One of the goals achieved by the present invention is to enable distribution of part of the weight on the shoulder. For example, while relatively short trays and trays being handled by servers with long arms may be controlled easily enough with the handles 16 coupled generally centrally in the fore and aft direction, longer trays may be more easily controlled with the handles 16 positioned slightly forward of the center and/or may have angled handles or portions thereof. In fact, positioning and angling of handles may be applied to any length of tray. The trays of the present invention may have a maximum length in a range from fourteen to thirty-six inches. A broader range from ten to forty-eight inches is more inclusive and may have some specialty applications. With the longer trays the handle may be coupled at a position two thirds or more of the overall length from a rear end edge of the substrate 12.

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the food or drink tray 10 similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, which may additionally or alternatively include at least one beverage recess 30 as shown in dashed lines. The beverage recess 30 may be located on the top surface 22 of the substrate 12. The beverage recess 30 may serve to retain a base of a beverage glass within the recess to reduce the probability of a beverage glass sliding and thereby reducing the number of spilled beverages. The recesses 30 may be in place of or in addition to the rib 14, and may act to additionally or alternatively inhibit sliding off of beverage glasses. There may a plurality of beverage recesses 30 which cover all or part of the top surface 22. Each beverage recess may be located on the top surface 22 of the substrate 12. Furthermore, each beverage recess 30 may be sufficiently spaced from the rib 14 so that the rib 14 does not impede the placing of the beverage within the beverage recess 30. Also, each beverage recess 30 may have sufficient spacing from other beverage recesses 30 to allow each beverage recess 30 to be used without glasses interfering with each other. Additionally or alternatively, other recesses or contours of any of a variety of configurations may be provided on the top surface 22 to additionally or alternatively receive and retain food, for example.

As shown in the bottom plan view of FIG. 4, the handle 16 may include a handle base 40 in the form of a flange. Thus, the handle base 40 may act to advantageously spread forces and couple the handle 16 to the bottom surface 21 of the substrate 12. Screws 42, bolts, clips, a slide-lock, other fasteners, or fastening mechanisms may be used to couple the handle base 40 to the bottom surface 21. For example, glue or other adhesives may be used. Any of various types of welding may be implemented including heat welding and metal welding. The handle may be coupled to the substrate 12 by press fit, snap fit, or frictional engagement. Alternatively, the handle and/or handle base 40 may be integrally molded or shaped together with the substrate.

Likewise, the handle 16 may be removably or permanently coupled to the handle base 40 by similar coupling mechanisms. For example, and without limitation, the handle base 40 may be integrally molded or shaped together with the handle 16. The handle 16 may be coupled to the base in various ways, including, but not limited to, screws, bolts, clips, a slide-lock, other fasteners, or fastening mechanisms. For example, glue or other adhesives or bonding agents may be used. Any of various types of welding may be implemented including heat welding and metal welding. The base 40 may be coupled to the handle 16 by press fit, snap fit, or frictional engagement.

Furthermore, the handle base 40 may be coupled to the handle 16 by a hinge and a compliant member locking device. The compliant member locking mechanism may include a snap lock mechanism, for example. In this particular configuration, the handle base 40 may be coupled to the bottom surface 21 of the substrate 12, with the handle 16 rotated away from the base into a position of use. The handle 16 may be configured to be locked into place in this position by the compliant member locking mechanism. Between uses, the compliant member locking mechanism may be unlocked to release the handle 16 into its non-use position. When unlocked, the compliant member locking mechanism allows the handle 16 to be rotated into a position substantially parallel with the substrate 12 to provide more efficient storing and/or transport of the food or drink tray 10.

The handle 16 may be coupled to the substrate 12 at any location on the bottom surface 21 that enables a server 17 to properly balance the tray by use of the handle 16 and a shoulder 20 of the server 17. For example, when the substrate 12 has a particularly long configuration, the handle may be coupled at a position approximately one third back from a front end edge of the substrate 12. Thus, the server can support the substrate on his or her shoulder 20 at a location two thirds back from the front end edge of the substrate so that the weight of the tray and any objects thereon may be supported at two generally evenly distributed locations by the handle and the server's arm and the server's shoulder 20. Similar to the hinged connection described above, in any of the configurations of the tray 10 in which the handle is removably attached to the substrate, the handles 16 may be separated from the substrates 12 during storage or other periods of non-use.

Also referring to FIG. 4, it should be noted that the cross section of the handle 16 may be oblong, but other shapes may be equally preferred. For example, the handle may be obround, oval, eccentric or of any other configuration desired. However, the advantage to most of these configurations is that they enable the server to memorize a position of the substrate relative to an orientation of the handle. For example, by noting that an oblong handle section is longitudinally aligned in a particular direction, the server may determine that the tray needs to be shifted inwardly or outwardly based on a previously memorized positional relation between the handle cross sectional orientation relative to the substrate 12. This may be achieved with a generally round, square, or hexagonal sectioned handle if there is some tactile element such as a protuberance or an indentation that the server may feel and use as a positional reference. However, it is also noted that an oblong section has the advantage of aiding a server to grip and apply a rotational force to avoid unwanted rotation of the tray and to controllably rotate the tray during use. The longitudinal aspect of the section or other tactile element may be aligned with a fore and aft direction of the substrate 12. Alternatively, the longitudinal aspect of the cross section of the handle 16 may be angled, as shown in FIG. 4, relative to the fore and aft direction by an angle 49, for example. Here, the angle defines a relationship of a longitudinal axis 50 of the cross section of the handle 16, (alternatively shown in dashed lines), with a longitudinal axis 51 of the substrate 12. At this angle 49, it may be appreciated, a left handed server would be enabled to more comfortably lift his/her left elbow and keep a straight wrist during use of the tray 10. Thus, angling the longitudinal axis 50 of the section of the handle may be provided at any of a variety of angles including but not limited to those in a range from plus forty-five to minus forty-five degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 51 of the substrate. It is to be understood that the handle 16 may alternatively or additionally be made to be adjustable and/or rotatable.

As shown in FIG. 4, a shoulder engaging structure 54 may be located on a bottom surface of the tray substrate 12. This shoulder engaging structure 54 may take any of a variety of forms including, but not limited to, a foam pad, a contoured surface configured to generally or specifically compliment a shoulder 20 of a server. Such a contoured surface may be integrally formed with the substrate, or may be added on such as by adhesives, fasteners (including snap lock fasteners), welding, or magnetic attraction. The shoulder engaging structure 54 may be removably and/or pivotably mounted on the underside 21 of the substrate 12. In generally, the shoulder engaging element provides a larger surface with which the server's shoulder 20 will be engaged. Additionally or alternatively, shock absorption may be provided to ease shock forces and pressure points. Overall, the shoulder engaging structure 54 will include an ergonomic surface modifying treatment for comfortably engaging a user's shoulder 20.

Referring to the side view of FIG. 5, the food or drink tray 10 may have a substrate 12 supported on the handle 16 in a substantially perpendicular relationship. Alternatively, the substrate 12 may be supported on and extend from the handle 16 at an angle other than a generally right angle. For example, all or part of the handle 12 may be ergonomically angled so that the wrist and hand of the server 17 may be comfortably aligned with his/her forearm, to enable a stronger grip and improved control of the handle and tray 10. The handle may also include a handle base 40 that is coupled to a bottom surface 21 of the substrate 12 as has been discussed above. While the handle base 40 is shown as a generally planar element, it is to be understood that other configurations may be implemented which may include webs or other elements that extend diagonally between the handle 16 and the bottom surface 21 to effectively reduce force concentrations and inhibit failure at the coupling of the handle 16 to the substrate 12. The handle length 40 may be defined as extending from the handle base 40 to a lower edge of the handle 16 as viewed in FIG. 5. The handle length 40 may be sufficient to allow only part or a whole hand of a user to grasp the handle 16. In a short handle configuration, the handle 16 may be from two and a half to six inches long. Another range of lengths for the short handle configuration may be from three to five inches. Alternatively, the handle may have a length 40 sufficient to enable two hands of the server 17 to grasp the handle 16 at the same time, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1. This longer handle configuration may enable the server to supply extra lifting force to supply extra support and control of the tray 10 that may be particularly heavy when loaded with food and/or beverages. In a long handle configuration, the handle may be from six to twenty inches long. Another range of lengths for the long handle configuration may be from eight to ten inches in length. It is to be understood that the handle 16 may have, but is not limited to, lengths anywhere within the above described ranges.

FIG. 6 is an exploded cutaway view of a plurality of trays 10 having respective substrates 12 and handles 16. FIG. 6 also shows in greater detail, the handle aperture structure 18 at least partially indicated in FIG. 1 by a dashed line. The handle aperture 18 may be formed by structure or an inner wall of the tray extending through the tray and at least in part by a portion of structure forming an inner wall of the handle. In this regard, the handle may be generally hollow. As shown, each superjacent tray 10 may be stacked on each subjacent tray 10 to form a stack 57 of food or drink trays 10 as shown in FIG. 7. The handles 16 may be tapered so that the structure 18 provides an opening large enough to receive a lower end of a superjacent handle 16. As indicated by the broken lines of FIGS. 6 and 7, the handles may be of any desired length.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the stack of trays 57 of FIG. 6 and a tray support 60 on which the stack 57 may be placed or stacked during use or between uses. As shown, the plurality of food or drink trays 10 may be stacked with a handle of a superjacent tray being received within the handle aperture of a subjacent tray and still be tightly stacked so that the substrates are abutting or nearly abutting with each other. When the trays 10 have ribs 14, the ribs 14 may abut each other in the stacked configuration. One or more trays 10 may be supported on the tray support 60. To this end, the tray support may have receiver 63. The receiver 63 may include a post 66 or other structure with an inner wall forming an aperture in which the handles 16 may be slideably received. As may be appreciated, a table, a counter, a portable stand, or a trolley may have a receiver 63 incorporated therein. The receiver 63 may receive the handle(s) and support the tray(s) in a substantially horizontal position between periods of transport. Thus, the receiver may be conveniently located for placement during use and/or during non-use. Even more broadly, the receiver may be provided by any receiving structure that supports the trays 10 and/or handles 16 with the substrates 12 in generally horizontal of any other orientation.

Accordingly, the present invention is also directed to an overall system that may include at least one tray 10, but which may also advantageously include a plurality of like trays that are capable of being easily stacked and separated during both use and non-use. The trays 10 of the system of trays may have handles and one or more of the additional features described above with regard to the individual trays 10.

It will be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not to be limited to the specific components disclosed herein, but only by the appended claims. Accordingly, for example, although particular trays, handles, handle bases, beverage recesses, ribs and other components are disclosed, such components may include any shape, size, style, measurement, concentration, material, weight, and/or quantity as long as these are not limited by the claims.

Accordingly, the components defining any food or drink tray may be formed of any of many different types of materials or combinations thereof that can readily be formed into configured objects provided that the components selected are consistent with the intended operation of a food or drink tray. For example, the components may be formed of: rubbers (synthetic and/or natural) and/or other like materials; glasses (such as fiberglass) carbon-fiber, aramid-fiber, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; polymers such as thermoplastics (such as ABS, Fluoropolymers, Polyacetal, Polyamide; Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, Polysulfone, and/or the like), thermosets (such as Epoxy, Phenolic Resin, Polyimide, Polyurethane, Silicone, and/or the like), any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; composites and/or other like materials; metals, such as zinc, magnesium, titanium, copper, iron, steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, tool steel, stainless steel, aluminum, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; alloys, such as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, magnesium alloy, copper alloy, any combination thereof, and/or other like materials; any other suitable material; and/or any combination thereof.

Furthermore, the components defining any food or drink tray may be purchased pre-manufactured or manufactured separately and then assembled together. However, any or all of the components may be manufactured simultaneously and integrally joined with one another. Manufacture of these components separately or simultaneously may involve extrusion, pultrusion, vacuum forming, injection molding, blow molding, resin transfer molding, casting, forging, cold rolling, milling, drilling, reaming, turning, grinding, stamping, cutting, bending, welding, soldering, hardening, riveting, punching, plating, and/or the like. If any of the components are manufactured separately, they may then be coupled with one another in any manner, such as with adhesive, a weld, a fastener (e.g. a bolt, a nut, a screw, a nail, a rivet, a pin, and/or the like), wiring, any combination thereof, and/or the like for example, depending on, among other considerations, the particular material forming the components. Other possible steps might include sand blasting, polishing, powder coating, zinc plating, anodizing, hard anodizing, and/or painting the components for example.

Additionally, while it has been shown that the handle 16 is coupled to the substrate 12, particular embodiments of a food or drink tray 10 may include a substrate 12, a handle 16, and a rib 14, which are each integral with each other through means such as injection molding, or other processes that provide for a single piece with each component integral with one another.

Another particular embodiment of the present invention may include a method of using a food or drink tray. The method may include the steps of holding a handle with at least one hand, placing a portion of a bottom surface of a tray on a shoulder of the server that is on the same side of the server's body as the one hand holding the handle, and leveling a top surface of the tray by raising or lowering the hand holding the handle. This enables the server to have better control of the tray with two points of support and a handle providing leverage to better control movement of the tray. It is to be understood that the server may regularly choose to rest the tray on his/her shoulder only occasionally.

Additionally, the method may also include the step of pivoting the tray inwardly or outwardly relative to a center of the server's body about a pivot point 23 on the server's shoulder when navigating through highly congested spaces. As shown in FIG. 1, a server may rotate the tray 10 inward toward a center of his/her body so that a majority of the tray and the objects thereon are regularly supported inwardly of an outermost edge of the server's shoulders indicated by a line 48. The portion of the bottom surface of the tray placed on the shoulder forms the pivot point 23, and the hand pivots the tray by applying inward or outward forces to the tray via the handle. It is often the navigation through congested areas that results in an accidental collision with another person and/or a dropped tray together with beverage glasses and/or food. However, with the increased control afforded by the method of the present invention, such collisions and mishaps will likely happen less frequently. Furthermore, with the tray regularly rotated inwardly closer to the server's center of gravity and inside the fore and aft line 48 control will be increased, less force will be required to support the tray, and the tray will protrude less into the personal space of other people.

As food dishes and/or beverages are removed from the tray, the method may also include the step of balancing the tray at the moment the items are removed. This step is more easily accomplished with trays according to the present invention and is useful, for example, in situations where the server has beverages on the tray. In these situations, patrons may remove beverages from the tray on their own without warning to the server. Likewise, patrons may replace full glasses with empty glasses. Such situations provide for a constant change or shift in weight distribution on the tray. Hence, the use of a shoulder and a handle according to this method advantageously provides greater stability, control, and balancing. With the handle rigidly coupled to the substrate the method includes increasing control by applying leverage to the handle to balance the tray as items are removed from the tray. The result is a reduced number of spills of the beverages and/or food.

The method may also include sensing or determining a position of the tray by receiving tactile sensory feedback regarding an orientation of a longitudinal or other aspect of the cross section of the handle. That is, for example, by noting that the handle section is longitudinally aligned in a particular direction, the server may determine that the tray needs to be shifted inwardly or outwardly based on a previously memorized positional relation between the handle cross sectional orientation relative to the tray.

The step of holding the handle according to a method of the present invention, may include holding the handle with two hands. This is particularly beneficial when the tray is holding heavy food dishes and/or beverages. Use of two hands in accordance with this step may advantageously provides even greater ability to hold, level, control, and balance the tray.

In accordance with both the apparatus and the method, the handle 16 extending transverse or vertical relative to a plane of the substrate 12 also allows for a more natural grip, as opposed to the severe bending at the wrist which is required with conventional trays that have no handles. The present invention thus helps to avoid injury associated with such bending of the wrist, especially under heavy loads.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the order of steps in the method of use are not limited to the particular order in which they are disclosed, but may be adapted to the most efficient manner required for the particular use of the food or drink tray.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a food or drink tray 70 having a curvilinear substrate 72, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate 72 may be heart shaped. The substrate 72 may have a top surface 71 and an opposing bottom surface 73 each extending along a first longitudinal axis and a second lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The substrate 72 may also include a rib 74 that may be formed integrally or subsequently coupled to a peripheral edge of the substrate 72. The rib 74 may extend away from the substrate 72 in a substantially transverse direction from a plane of the substrate 72, thereby providing a lip around the perimeter of the top surface 71 of the substrate 72. The handle 76 may be a rotatable handle coupled to an edge of the substrate 72.

The handle 76 may have a tight hinge 80 that is designed to allow the handle 76 to move between at least two substantially stable positions. One of the stable positions, as shown in FIG. 9B, may be an extended position with the handle 76 extending away from the bottom surface 73 of the substrate 72 in a direction transverse to the plane of the substrate 72. The other stable position, as Shown in FIG. 9A, may be a folded position with the handle 76 extending away from an edge of the substrate in a position transverse to the extended position of the handle and substantially parallel with a plane of the substrate. The handle 76 rotates about hinge 80. The handle 16, as shown in FIG. 10, may have a cross section having at least one of an oblong, an obround, an oval, a crescent, or other such configuration that may allow the user to orient the tray to a comfortable position to reduce wrist and arm fatigue. A rest 82 may provide a convenient contour for resting the tray 70 on one of the hips or shoulder of a server, and a table surface, thereby also reducing fatigue.

The rib 74 is configured to substantially limit the sliding of articles placed upon the top surface 71 of the substrate 72. The rib 74 acts as a well to substantially contain any food, drink or other item spilled within the tray 70 to avoid messes and to minimize slipping hazards. The handle 76 preferably has at least one knob 78, as shown in FIGS. 8-9B, to aid the server in securely gripping the handle 16 and controlling the tray 10.

Referring to FIG. 11, embodiments of the present invention may include a method 90 of using a food or drink tray in accordance with the present invention. The method 90 may include the steps of rotating a rotatable handle about a hinge from a folded position to an extended when the tray is empty (Step 91); resting the tray on one of a server's hips and shoulder while the handle is gripped by the server (Step 92); filling the tray with one of food items, drink items and combinations thereof (Step 93); carrying the tray to a table (Step 94); rotating the rotatable handle to a folded position to rest the tray on the table (Step 95); and unloading the tray (Step 96). The method 90 may further include the step of retaining spills of one of food and drink on the tray by use of a rib.

The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims. 

1. A food or drink tray comprising: a substrate having a curvilinear perimeter, wherein the substrate comprises a top surface and bottom surface each extending along a first longitudinal axis and a second lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; a rotatable handle hingedly coupled to an edge of the substrate, wherein the handle is rotatable between at least two stable positions, the handle having a cross section with at least one of an oblong, an obround, an oval and a crescent configuration; and a rib coupled to a peripheral edge of the tray and extends away from the tray in a direction substantially opposite relative to the handle.
 2. The tray of claim 1, wherein the handle further comprises at least one hinge coupled between the substrate and the rotatable handle.
 3. The tray of claim 2, wherein the at least two stable positions comprises an extended position and a folded position.
 4. The tray of claim 3, wherein handle in the extended position extends away from the bottom surface of the substrate in a direction transverse to the plane of the substrate.
 5. The tray of claim 4, wherein the handle in the folded position extends away from an edge of the substrate in a position transverse to the extended position of the handle and substantially parallel with a plane of the substrate.
 6. The tray of claim 4, further comprising a rest contour for resting the tray on one of hips of a server, shoulder of a server, and a table surface.
 7. The tray of claim 6, wherein the handle in the extended position facilitates the rest being set on one of the hips and shoulder of the server and the handle in the folded position facilitates the rest being set on one of the hips of the server and the table surface, wherein the handle is in a position to be securely gripped.
 8. The tray of claim 1, wherein the handle further comprises a knob to aid a server in securely gripping the handle.
 9. The tray of claim 1, wherein the curvilinear shape of the substrate is heart shaped.
 10. A method of using a food or drink tray, the method comprising: rotating a rotatable handle about a hinge from a folded position to an extended when the tray is empty; resting the tray on one of a server's hips and shoulder while the handle is gripped by the server; filling the tray with one of food items, drink items and combinations thereof; carrying the tray to a table; rotating the rotatable handle to a folded position to rest the tray on the table; and unloading the tray.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising retaining spills of one of food and drink on the tray by use of a rib. 